BY 


ROBERT  CLEVELAND 


GIFT  OF 
Class    of   1887 


ELMER   BURLINGAME 


What 

BURLINGAME 

Did 


A  True  Story  of  a 
Young  Electrician 


by 
Robert  Cleveland 


SAN    FRANCISCO 
1908 


Copyright  1903  by 
The  Burlingame  Underwriters 


TO  THAT   TYPE  OF 
INDIVIDUAL 

who  is  willing  to  investigate  be- 
fore passing  judgment,  who  an- 
alyzes carefully  that  his  con- 
clusions may  be  sound,  who 
has  the  foresight  to  see  what 
the  future  will  bring  forth,  who 
is  willing  to  stand  by  the 
courage  of  his  convictions  and 
back  them,  with  his  money,  if 
necessary,  this  book  is 

RESPECTFULLY 
DEDICATED 


813229 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 


Chapter  I  The  Evolution  of  an 
Idea 11 

Chapter  II  The  Crystallization 
of  an  Idea       .        .        .        .19 

Chapter  III  A  New  System  of 
Telegraphy      .        .        .        .31 

Chapter  IV  The  Uses  for  the 
Burlingame  System  of  Teleg- 
raphy       47 

Chapter  V  The  History  of  Other 
Labor  and  Thought  Saving 
Inventions      .        .        .        .73 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

Elmer  Burlingame,  Portrait . 

Frontispiece 

Burlingame  Telegraphing  Appa- 
ratus attached  to  a  "  Stearns" 
Typewriter      .        .        .        .26 

Burlingame  Telegraphing  Appa- 
ratus attached  to  an  "L.  C. 
Smith"  Typewriter        .        .     50 

The  Burlingame  Relay  for  Long 
Distance  Transmission  of 
Messages         .        .        .        .66 


THE  EVOLUTION  OF 
AN  IDEA 


CHAPTER  I 

THE  EVOLUTION  OF 
AN  IDEA 

JUST  above  me  as  I  write 
this  little  story  of  Elmer 
Burlingame  is  a  small  elec- 
tric bulb  diffusing  light  which 
enables  me  to  see  the  keyboard 
of    the    typewriter. 

One  day  that  bulb  existed  in 
the  brain  of  man.  And  today 
there  are  bulbs  like  it  all  over 
the  world,  "from  Greenland's 
icy  mountains  to  India's  coral 
strand." 

The  typewriter  on  which  the     Growth 
story  is  being  written,  was  only      jjea" 
an  idea  but  a  few  years   ago — 
a  belief  in  the  mind  of  a  human 
being.     And    while    I    write    I 


WHAT   BURLINGAME    DID 

know  that  the  keys  on  millions 
of  other  typewriters  in  every 
quarter  of  the  universe  are  tick- 
ing in  unison. 

When  I  have  finished  the 
manuscript  it  will  be  given  to 
a  printer  in  whose  shop  the 
type  will  be  set  up  on  a  lino- 
type machine  and  the  story 
will  be  put  into  imperishable 
form  just  as  you  have  it  before 
you  in  this  little  book.  The 
linotype,  only  a  few  years  ago 
was  going  through  the  process 
of  evolution  by  a  series  of  suc- 
cessive thoughts  in  the  brain 
of  the  inventor.  Those  thoughts 
have  been  crystallized.  There 
is  not  a  well  equipped  news- 
12 


WHAT    BURLINGAME   DID 

paper  or  printing  plant  in  ex- 
istence but  has  one  or  more 
of  these  wonderful  labor-saving 
devices. 

A  few  minutes  ago  I  was 
interrupted  by  a  call  to  the 
telephone.  As  I  hung  up  the 
receiver  I  reflected  on  the 
achievement  of  Alexander  Bell 
and  said  to  myself,  "  Just  think, 
twenty-five  years  ago  that  mes- 
sage would  have  been  sent  to 
me  by  a  messenger  boy,  yet  I 
transacted  the  business  in  the 
short  time  of  twelve  seconds." 

In  this  busy  world  of  ours  we      ^^ 
have    gotten  so  accustomed  to 
"horseless"  carriages,  "girlless" 
telephones,    "brainless"   adding 

13 


World 


WHAT    BURLINGAME   DID 

machines  and  other  labor  and 
thought  saving  devices  that  we 
accept  these  inventions  that 
figure  in  our  daily  lives  with  but 
little  thought  of  the  interesting 
stages  they  go  through  from  the 
first  idea  in  the  brain  of  the  in- 
ventor to  the  finished  product. 

Each  is  a  story  of  absorbing 
interest  when  the  facts  are 
brought  to  our  attention.  The 
concentrated  thought  on  the 
part  of  the  inventor,  his  first 
crude  model,  his  original  finished 
model  and  the  acceptance  of 
his  product  by  the  public,  form  A  ^fory 
a  story  of  evolution  far  more  Interest 
entertaining  than  was  ever 
penned  by  the  most  imaginative 

14 


WHAT    BURLINGAME   DID 

writer.  The  true  story  has  a 
real  flesh  and  blood  being  as 
its  central  figure,  and  his  early 
struggles,  his  disappointments, 
his  achievement,  his  triumph 
tug  at  our  heart  strings  and 
appeal  to  our  emotions. 

We  profit  by  a  study  of  the 
lives  of  others  and  particularly 
those  who  attain  success  solely 
through  their  own  efforts,  over- 
coming every  obstacle  that  con- 
fronts them. 

The    story    of    Elmer    Bur- 
lingame    is    an    inspiration    to 
the  man  who  wants  to  get  on     Togeton 
in  this  world,  a  guiding  star  to       work! 
the  individual  who  wants  to  do 
things,  a  stimulus  to  the  person 

15 


WHAT   BURLINGAME   DID 

who  wants  to  learn  more,  earn 
more  and  round  out  life's 
journey  in  ease  and  comfort. 


16 


THE  CRYSTALLIZATION 
OF  AN  IDEA 


CHAPTER  II 

THE  CRYSTALLIZATION 
OF  AN  IDEA 

IN  THE  autumn  of  1832, 
Professor  Samuel  F.  B. 
Morse  first  conceived  his 
idea  of  telegraphy.  After  ex- 
perimenting with  electro-mag- 
nets, it  occurred  to  him  that 
it  might  be  possible  to  send  a 
series  of  electrical  impulses  over 
a  wire  and  if  so  why  could  not 
these  impulses  be  made  to  con- 
vey a  meaning. 

Accordingly  he  acted  on  this 
belief  and  five  years  later,  in 
1837,    gave    a    public    demon-     System  for 

°  x  70  Years 

stration  of  telegraphy,  using  the 
same  system  that  is  in  vogue 
today,  namely,  dots  and  dashes 

19 


Same  Old 


WHAT   BURLINGAME  DID 

to  represent  letters,  numerals, 
punctuation  marks  and  char- 
acters. All  are  familiar  with 
what  Morse  has  done  for  civili- 
zation, but  few  know  that  in  all 
these  seventy  odd  years  since 
the  invention  of  the  telegraph, 
but  little  improvement  has  been 
made.  Practically  speaking, 
the  only  improvement  is  the 
development  of  multiple  teleg- 
raphy. A  system  has  been  de- 
vised by  which  four  messages 
can  be  sent  at  one  time,  two 
each  way,  over  a  single  wire, 
but  the  principle  as  laid  down 
by  Morse  is  identically  the  same. 
This  was  the  situation  that 
confronted    Elmer    Burlingame 

20 


WHAT   BURLINGAME    DID 

when  he  took  up  the  study  of 
electricity.  He  wondered  at  it 
when  but  a  boy  in  his  "teens." 
Human  effort  could  not  be  im- 
proved upon;  and  the  mechan- 
ical side  of  telegraphy  seemed 
to  have  about  reached  the  limit 
with  the  present  system. 

He  thought,  and  studied  the 
question  from  every  angle.  He 
had  a  talent  for  electrical  ex- 
periments. When  only  a  boy 
of  fourteen  years  of  age  he  had 
successfully  installed  according 
to  contract,  a  burglar  alarm 
system,  in  a  large  flour  mill  in 
his  home  town. 

In  1898  while  attending  high 
school   he   got   his   idea.     Why 

21 


A  New 
Idea 


WHAT   BURLINGAME   DID 

not  devise  a  means  for  sending 
a  Roman  letter  over  a  wire  in- 
a  stead  of  the  usual  dots  and 
Lett"  dashes  which  represent  a  letter 
and  which  only  an  expert  can 
interpret?  Why  could  not  two 
ordinary  typewriters  be  con- 
nected with  a  wire  so  that  when 
the  letter  "  A"  was  struck  on  the 
keyboard  of  the  sending  ma- 
chine, the  same  letter  would 
strike  on  the  receiving  type- 
writer?    Here  was  his  cue. 

He  was  only  nineteen  and  was 
without  funds  for  experimental 
purposes.  So  he  waited.  A 
year  later  upon  graduation  he 
secured  employment  from  the 
local    telephone    company    and 

22 


WHAT    BURLINGAME    DID 

acted  in  the  capacity  of 
"trouble  man" — he  who  re- 
sponded to  complaints  and  re- 
paired the  offending  instrument. 
He  was  advanced  from  time  to 
time  during  his  eight  years  of 
telephone  work,  and  upon  sever- 
ing his  connection  occupied  the 
position  of  toll  line  wire  chief, 
and  was  substantially  the  man- 
ager of  all  long  distance  wires. 
Through  these  years  of  em- 
ployment he  kept  up  his  exper- 
iments, denying  himself  every 
Denial  entertainment  and  luxury  that 
he  might  have  money  for  the 
necessary  electrical  supplies  for 
conducting  his  investigation. 
Only  he  knows  how  he  plodded 

23 


WHAT    BURLINGAME   DID 

and  worked  when  off  duty. 
And  many  a  night  he  was  in 
his  little  home  laboratory  until 
the  wee  hours  of  the  morning. 
Pluck  Perseverance  and  pluck  won. 

He  overcame  every  obstacle  and 
in  1905  success  crowned  his 
efforts.  He  had  not  sufficient 
money  to  purchase  a  type- 
writer, so  made  a  keyboard  of 
wood,  crude  in  the  extreme 
but  capable  of  serving  the 
purpose. 

He  had  become  familiar  with 
the  principles  governing  wireless 
telegraphy  so  decided  to  apply  it 
to  his  invention.  He  built  a 
coil  by  hand  that  threw  an 
eighteen  inch  spark,  and  erected 

24 


WHAT   BURLINGAME    DID 

two  poles  thirty  miles  apart — 

one  in  La  Porte,  the  other  in 

c  A         South     Bend,     Indiana.     Upon 

success  '  * 

completion  of  his  apparatus  he 
sent  seven  letters  of  the  alphabet 
over  this  distance  and  they 
were  recorded  exactly  on  the 
receiving  machine.  He  had 
witnesses  to  note  his  achieve- 
ment. Soon  the  community 
was  apprised  of  what  had  oc- 
curred. 

The    La    Porte    Herald    and      The 
Indianapolis    Star    gave    many     World 
columns  to  the  project  and  the     Notice 
electrical    world    was    at    once 
astounded.       Papers     all    over 
published   the   news    and    Bur- 
lingame    was    started    on    the 

25 


WHAT    BURLINGAME   DID 

road  to  fame.  That  concen- 
tration of  thought,  those  times 
of  self-denial,  those  days  and 
nights  of  study  and  work  had 
earned  him  a  reward. 

He  succeeded  in  securing  a 
typewriter  and  though  he  still 
used  his  original  wooden  keys 
for  sending,  he  successfully 
transmitted  oyer  the  distance 
in  1907  several  other  letters 
of  the  alphabet,  together  with 
some  of  the  numerals,  char- 
acters and  punctuation  marks, 
just  as  they  are  used  on  the 
keyboard    of    all    typewriters. 

Here  was  the  birth  of  the 
telegraphing  typewriter.  Bur- 
lingame  had  taken  up  the  work 


Burlingame  Telegraphing  Apparatus  Attached 
To  a  "Stearns"  Typewriter 


WHAT   BURLINGAME  DID 

where  Morse  left  off  and  offered 
to  the  world  a  new  and  better 
system,  a  system  that  needed 
no  human  receiver,  a  system 
so  simple  in  its  operation  that 
anyone  understanding  the  A  B 
C's  could  send  a  message  or 
read  one  at  the  receiving  end  as 
fast  as  it  came  from  the  machine. 
The  publicity  given  the  in- 
vention particularly  by  scien- 
tific and  technical  journals 
attracted  the  attention  of  a 
number  of  San  Francisco  busi- 
ness men  who  formed  a  company 
and  supplied  young  Burlingame 
with  a  complete  experimental 
shop  where  he  could  make  a 
few  sets  of  machines. 

27 


WHAT   BURLINGAME    DID 

Recently  a  set  of  these  ma- 
chines was  exhibited  in  San 
Francisco,  Stockton,  Los 
Angeles,  New  Orleans  and  Kan- 
sas City,  where  they  were  put 
to  a  test  by  some  of  the  best 
known  electrical  experts  in  the 
United  States.  Their  opinions 
were  unanimous  that  Burlin- 
game  had  reached  the  goal 
which  has  been  the  dream  of 
inventors  for  years. 


28 


NEW  SYSTEM  OF 
TELEGRAPHY 


CHAPTER  III 

A  NEW  SYSTEM  OF 
TELEGRAPHY 

THE  pulsations  of  the  com- 
mercial world  are  re- 
corded in  messages. 
Every  piece  of  intelligence, 
every  article  of  news,  every 
communication  that  is  trans- 
mitted from  one  place  to  an- 
other is  a  message.  Stop  the 
messages  of  the  world  for  even 
a  day  and  think  what  would 
happen  to  governments,  to  rail- 
roads, to  the  shipping  and 
financial  interests.  Unques- 
tionably the  stopping  of  mes-  Me8°fages 
sages  would  seriously  affect 
practically  every  person  on 
earth. 

31 


A  World 


WHAT    BURLINGAME    DID 

Think  also  what  it  will  mean 
to  all  these  interests  if  the 
present  system  of  messages  can 
be  improved  upon  by  an  in- 
vention that  will  mean  greater 
speed,  more  accuracy  and  less 
expense. 

Millions  of  dollars  are  paid 
for  the  sending  cf  messages 
every  month.  Thus  every  frac- 
tion saved  on  a  single  message 
will  mean  in  the  aggregate  a 
saving  of  millions  of  dollars  in 
the  course  of  a  year. 

You  can  readily  see  that  the 
world  stands  waiting  for  an 
improvement  in  the  sending 
and  receiving  of  messages. 

What    Burlingame   has   done 

32 


WHAT    BURLINGAME   DID 

for  posterity  can  not  be 
measured  by  dollars  and  cents; 
neither  is  it  within  the  pale  of 
human  imagination.  We  can, 
however,  see  its  practicability 
by  noting  its  many  uses.  But 
first  let  us  become  more  famil- 
iar with  the  operation  of  Bur- 
lingame's  invention. 

He  takes  two  ordinary  type- 
writers of  standard  make,  such 
as  the  Stearns,  L.  C.  Smith, 
Underwood  or  Monarch.  The 
two  that  the  writer  observed 
were  the  "Stearns,"  and  they 
were  the  same  machines  that 
one  would  buy  in  the  market 
for  office  use.  Each  was 
equipped    with     the     electrical 

33 


WHAT    BURLINGAME    DID 

apparatus  to  set  the  electrical 
waves  in  motion  and  record 
them  at  the  other  end. 

The  operator  sits  at  the  send- 
ing typewriter  and  operates  the 
machine  just  as  the  ordinary 
stenographer  types  letters.  The 
message  is  recorded  on  the  re- 
ceiving instrument  as  perfectly 
as  though  it  were  a  carbon 
copy  of  the  original.  Likewise 
the  sending  machine  makes  a 
copy  of  the  message  just  as  it 
is  sent.  The  system  is  a  send- 
ing, receiving  and  recording 
operation,  all  in  one. 

Each  letter  on  the  keyboard, 
as  well  as  the  characters,  numer- 
als    and     punctuation     marks, 

34 


WHAT   BURLINGAME   DID 

has  its  own  individual  com- 
bination of  electrical  impulses. 
By  magnetic  attraction  the 
type  bars  on  the  receiving 
machine  are  attracted  toward 
the  roller  where  the  paper  rests. 
When  the  letter  "A",  for 
example,  is  struck  on  the  key 
of  the  sending  machine,  a  set 
of  electrical  impulses  is  set  in 
motion  over  the  wire  which 
releases  the  letter  "A"  on  the 
receiving  machine  and  the  type  ^h"'8 
prints  the  letter  on  the  paper  Message 
roll.  So  on  through  the  whole 
keyboard  the  operation  is  the 
same.  In  like  manner  the  shift 
key,  the  device  for  changing 
from    capitals    to    small   letters 

35 


WHAT    BURLINGAME    DID 

and  vice  versa,  the  spacing 
between  words,  the  return  of 
the  carriage  and  the  spacing 
for  the  next  line,  all  are  oper- 
ated automatically  in  simultane- 
ous action  with  the  movements 
of  the  sending  machine.  Thus 
anyone  familiar  with  the  letters 
on  the  keyboard  of  any  type- 
writer can  send  a  message  just 
as  easily  as  he  or  she  would 
typewrite  a  letter;  and  the  mes- 
sage is  recorded  on  the  receiving 
machine  in  page  form,  corre- 
sponding to  the  usual  type- 
written business  communication. 
There  is  .no  chance  for  mis- 
takes, through  careless  sending 
or  faulty  hearing.    The  machine 

36 


WHAT    BURLINGAME   DID 

takes  down  the  message  just  as 
sent.  There  is  no  human  "re- 
ceiver" to  make  a  mistake  by 
faulty  hearing,  carelessness  or 
neglect  as  is  the  case  with  the 
present  Morse  system  of  dots 
and  dashes  in  use  all  over  the 
world  today  on  every  telegraph 
line  or  with  the  various  wire- 
less systems. 

Let  us  compare  the  Bur- 
lingame  and  Morse  systems  of 
telegraphy,  taking  the  word 
"San    Francisco"    for   example. 

The  Morse  System 
SAN     FRANCISCO 


Thus  the  "S"  is  represented 

37 


WHAT    BURLINGAME   DID 

by  three  dots,  the  "A"  by  a 
dot  and  a  dash,  the  "N"  by  a 
dash  and  a  dot,  and  so  forth. 
A  dash  is  equal  in  time  to  two 
dots.  An  interval  of  time  equal 
to  three  dots  must  be  allowed 
between  letters,  and  time  equal 
to  six  dots  between  words. 
Therefore  the  word  "San  Fran- 
cisco" requires  as  much  time 
A  to   send   by   the   Morse   system 

Comparison  ag  wouid  De  necessary  to  send 
a  succession  of  seventy-five 
dots. 

The  Burlingame  System 
SAN     FRANCISCO 

By    the    Burlingame    system, 
two     impulses     pass    over  the 

38 


WHAT   BURLINGAME   DID 

wire  as  the  letter  is  being  struck 
on  the  keyboard.  Then  there 
is  a  pause  in  time  equal  to  a  dot 
to  enable  the  printing  mech- 
anism to  operate.  Each  letter 
and  the  space  after  it  are  sent 
as  quickly  as  three  dots.  Thus 
the  sending  of  each  letter  and 
the  spacing  between  each  letter 
occupy  an  interval  of  time 
equal  to  three  dots.  The  spac- 
ing between  words  takes  no 
longer  time  than  the  sending 
of  a  letter.  The  sending  of 
the  word  "San  Francisco"  by  wJ* 
the  Burlingame  system  re- 
quires in  time  what  would  be 
necessary  to  send  thirty-eight 
dots.     The   Burlingame  system 

39 


Ti 


ime 


WHAT    BURLINGAME  DID 

is  two  times  quicker  than  the 
Morse;  or  in  other  words  the 
operator  could  send  the  word 
twice  by  the  Burlingame  meth- 
od, while  the  Morse  operator 
was  sending  it  once. 

In  sending  a  news  article  the 
Burlingame  system  will  receive 
and  record  automatically  two 
words  to  every  one  sent  by  the 
Morse  principle.  And  when  the 
message  is  completed,  there  it  is 
in  the  Burlingame  machine 
plainly  written  out,  standing 
as  an  indisputable  fact  that  the 
message  was  recorded  just  as 
sent.  The  Morse  operator  on  the 
other  hand  is  compelled  to 
listen  to  the  ticking  of  the  dots 

40 


WHAT   BURLINGAME    DID 

and  dashes  on  the  sounding 
key,  then  determine  what  the 
words  are,  and  finally  write 
them  out  on  paper.  He  has 
no  record  to  consult,  no  proof 
of  what  was  sent.  He  is  guided 
only  by  his  hearing. 

The  Burlingame  system  re- 
quires no  person  to  receive  the 
message;  and  if  for  instance 
there  is  no  one  in  the  office  or 
no  one  near  the  machine,  the 
message  is  printed  out  in  full 
just  the  same;  whereas  the 
H^man  Morse  operator  would  have  to 
keep  calling  and  calling  the 
receiver  to  take  his  place  and 
listen.  Look  at  the  time  lost 
by    the    Morse   system,    in   the 

41 


Receiver 


WHAT    BURLINGAME   DID 

holding  of  the  wire  and  the 
useless  calling  of  the  operator. 

Anything  that  depends  on 
human  endeavor  or  effort  is 
subject  to  occasional  mistakes. 
"To  err  is  human."  The  Bur- 
lingame  telegraphing  type- 
writer, being  entirely  mechan- 
ical at  the  receiving  end  and 
practically  so  at  the  sending 
end  will  make  no  mistakes. 

A  large  mercantile  concern 
in  New  Orleans  once  wired  by 
the  Morse  system  to  their  New 
York  correspondent:  "Protect 
our  draft."  The  message  de- 
livered to  the  correspondent 
read:      "Protest      our      draft," 

42 


WHAT   BURLINGAME   DID 

which  of  course  has  a  very  dif- 
ferent meaning. 

The  mistake  arose  because  of 
the  small  difference  between  the 
letter  "C"  and  the  letter  "S." 
In  the  word  "San  Francisco" 
noted  before  you  will  observe 
that  the  two  letters  in  question 
are  each  represented  by  three 
dots,  only  the  letter  "C"  has 
Mistake  a  space  between  the  second  and 
third  dot. 

By  the  Burlingame  system  a 
"C"  is  always  sent  and  received 
as  a  "C."  At  least  the  message 
is  received  exactly  as  it  is  sent 
even  to  the  punctuation. 

Because  of  its  simplicity  and 
accuracy,    requiring    no    expert 

43 


WHAT    BURLINGAME   DID 

to  send  a  message  and  no  one 
at  all  to  receive  it,  several  of 
What  the  foremost  electrical  engin- 
°Sayrs  eers>  government  signal  service 
officers,  expert  telegraphers  and 
other  men  prominent  in  the 
business  circles  of  the  coast 
cities,  state  emphatically  that 
the  Burlingame  invention  will 
shortly  supplant  the  Morse 
system  everywhere. 

What  a  triumph  is  in  store 
for  young  Burlingame,  right 
in  the  dawn  of  life,  even  before 
he  has  passed  the  thirtieth 
milestone! 


44 


THE  USES  FOR  THE 

BURLINGAME  SYSTEM  OF 

TELEGRAPHY 


CHAPTER  IV 

THE  USES  FOR  THE    BUR- 

LINGAME  SYSTEM 

OF  TELEGRAPHY 

IF  Burlingame  did  nothing 
more  than  replace  the 
Morse  system  in  the  send- 
ing of  messages  and  press  dis- 
patches the  world  would  owe 
him  a  debt  of  gratitude;  but  his 
invention  opens  up  new  fields 
which  are  beyond  the  achieve- 
ments possible  with  all  other 
telegraphic  machines. 

The  trolley  not  only  replaced 
the    horse    and    cable    cars    in 
cities,     but    it    has    developed 
suburban  travel.     It  enables  a     0pens 
man  to  reside  many  miles  from     p^s 
his  place  of  business  and  still 

47 


WHAT    BURLINGAME    DID 

be  able  to  reach  it  quickly.  It 
is  through  opening  up  a  new 
field  that  the  trolley  invention 
has  made  so  much  money  for 
its  backers. 

And  so  on  might  be  mentioned 
many  other  inventions  that  not 
only  fulfilled  the  primary  pur- 
poses for  which  they  were  made, 
but  created  new  fields  for  their 
use. 

Each  and  every  one  of  the 
inventions  of  this  character 
has  been  a  great  money 
maker  because  of  the  increasing 
demand  developed  by  exploring 
broader   territories. 

This  is  the  remarkable  part 
of    the    Burlingame    invention. 

48 


WHAT    BURLINGAME    DID 

It  supplants  another  system  and 
creates  many  new  uses  for  the 
machine  by  supplying  the  world 
with  a  service  which  it  has  long 
wanted  but  which  other  inven- 
tions have  been  unable  to  fur- 
nish. 

A  cursory  glance  at  the  many 
practical  uses  for  the  telegraph- 
ing typewriter  readily  shows 
that  Burlingame  has  reached  a 
goal  not  only  beyond  his  fondest 
hopes,  but  what  might  be  ex- 
pected in  this  progressive, 
quick-moving  age  of  ours  where 
we  accomplish  in  minutes  what 
required  hours  for  our  grand- 
fathers to  perform. 

Of  all  the  uses  described  by 

49 


The 


WHAT    BURLINGAME    DID 

Burlingame  to  the  writer  the 
most  interesting  and  practical 
in  utility  and  service  to  the 
public  is  what  he  terms  "the 
news  ticker  service." 

Subsidiary    companies    using 
News      his    machines    will    be    formed 

Ticker 

in  each  city  and  town.  There 
will  be  a  central  news  station 
in  each  community  run  in  con- 
nection with  a  newspaper,  or 
the  Associated  Press.  In  the 
places  of  business  and  homes  of 
subscribers  will  be  little  re- 
ceiving instruments  weighing 
only  five  pounds.  Each  in- 
strument will  be  leased  just  "as 
the  telephone  is,  for  a  nominal 
sum    monthly.         Commencing 

50 


Burlingame  Telegraphing  Apparatus  Attached 
To  an  "L.  C.  Smith"  Typewriter 


Nirfht 


WHAT    BURLINGAME    DID 

early  in  the  morning,  and  con- 
tinuing all  day  long  and  into 
the  hours  of  the  evening,  the 
news  of  the  world  will  be  sent 
to  these  business  houses  and 
homes  all  over  the  city.  The  Dayjmd 
little  receiver  or  ticker  will  print 
the  news  in  page  form  on  a  roll 
of  paper  that  unreels  from  the 
instrument.  The  news  will  be 
very  brief,  just  enough  to  give 
the  gist  of  the  matter.  The 
detailed  account  will  be  given 
to  the  public  in  the  usual  manner 
through  the  newspapers. 

For  example,  the  machines 
will  give  the  telegraphic  news 
for  two  hours  in  the  morning. 
Whatever    happens    anywhere, 

51 


WHAT    BURLINGAME   DID 

just  as  soon  as  the  news  is 
gathered,  it  will  be  sent  on 
these  machines.  Imagine  the 
satisfaction  the  subscriber  will 
derive  in  getting  the  news  so 
quickly  and  concisely.  And 
we  must  admit  that  we  Ameri- 
cans are  "news  crazy." 

The  financial  news  will  then 
be  given  for  two  hours,  followed 
by  the  sporting  news  and  local 
news  for  an  equal  period.  Then 
general  news  will  be  sent  out 
the  remainder  of  the  evening 
and  night. 

Electrical  experts,  newspaper 
men  and  business  men  who 
have  investigated  Burlingame's 
invention  say  that  there  will  be 

52 


News 
Crazy 


WHAT    BURLINGAME    DID 

more  "news  tickers"  in  use  with- 
in two  years  than  there  were  tele- 
phones in  the  first  fifteen  years, 
and  later  there  will  be  more 
news  tickers  installed  than  all 
the  telephones  combined.  A 
moment's  reflection  on  the  won- 
derful achievements  in  the 
world  of  invention  during  the 
past  few  years  quickly  conveys 
to  one  the  positive  assurance 
that  such  will  be  the  case. 

Burlingame  has  proven  he 
can  do  it,  and  it  is  only  a  ques- 
tion of  developing  the  idea 
with  sufficient  capital  to  carry 
it  out.  History  shows  that 
capital  has  responded  to  per- 
petuate  every  practical  inven- 

53 


WHAT    BURLINGAME    DID 

tion  that  gives  the  world  what 
it  has  been  waiting  for.  And 
the  men  who  have  had  the 
courage  of  their  convictions  to 
back  their  judgment  with  their 
money  are  the  ones  who  have 
reaped  fortunes  by  going  in 
where  '  'doubting  Thomases" 
have  not  dared  to  tread. 

Another  use  of  the  telegraph- 
ing typewriter  of  almost  equal 
importance  is  in  connection 
with  the  sending  and  receiving  of 
press  dispatches  to  newspapers. 
Aid  to     The    Burlingame    machine    will 

News- 

papeis  be  built  with  the  same  keyboard 
as  the  linotype  on  which  the 
type  of  all  large  newspapers  is 
set.      The  operator  sending  the 

54 


WHAT    BURLINGAME    DID 

message  is  in  reality  setting  the 
type  on  the  linotype  in  the  news- 
paper offices,  thus  dispensing 
with  a  receiving  operator  and  a 
linotype  operator.  Immediately 
upon  receipt  of  the  completed 
message,  the  type  is  all  ready 
to  make  up  into  page  form  for 
going  to  press.  Just  think  of 
the  saving  of  time,  labor  and 
money. 

There  are  published  in  the 
United  States  and  Canada  today 
2500  daily  newspapers,  all  of 
which    will    eventually    receive     Add  to  the 

J  Use  of  the  . 

their   telegraphic   news   in   this     Telephone 
manner. 

One  exceedingly  practical  use 
for    the    Burlingame    invention 

55 


WHAT    BURLINGAME    DID 

is  in  conjunction  with  the  tele- 
phone as  a  sending  and  record- 
ing device  for  important  com- 
munications that  it  is  necessary 
to  preserve.  Today  after  a 
telephone  receiver  is  hung  up 
the  preceding  conversation  is 
entirely  obliterated.  It  is  sim- 
ply one  man's  word  against 
another's  as  to  what  was  said. 
With  the  Burlingame  machine 
attached  to  a  telephone,  the 
person  desiring  to  convey  a 
message  can  have  any  part  of  Matter 
it  recorded  by  simply  connecting  Record 
the  sending  device  with  the  wire. 
The  receiving  machine  being 
connected  likewise  will  receive 
and  record  whatever  part  of  the 

56 


A 


WHAT    BURLINGAME    DID 

message  it  is  desirable  to  pre- 
serve. All  the  sender  does  is 
to  strike  the  keys  on  his  type-  BilSk" 
writer  instead  of  speaking  into  whfte 
the  transmitter.  By  this 
method  no  dispute  can  arise. 
There  it  is  in  black  and  white 
just  as  sent. 

Should  a  person  ring  up 
another  on  the  telephone  and 
find  that  the  party  was  not  in 
his  office  or  home  as  the  case 
might  be,  he  would  simply  con- 
nect his  telegraphing  type- 
writer with  the  wire  and  transmit 
the  message.  Upon  the  return 
of  the  party  the  message  would 
be  in  the  machine  ready  for 
him  to  learn  who  had  rung  him 

57 


WHAT    BURLINGAME    DID 

up  and  what  was  the  nature  of 
the  business.  Time  is  the 
essence  of  business.  That  is 
why  the  public  has  welcomed  |^ce8 
every  time-saving  device  with 
open  arms.  You  can  already 
see  the  demand  that  awaits 
Burlingame's     invention. 

The  miscellaneous  uses  of  this 
new  system  of  telegraphy  are 
so  many  that  it  would  take  a 
dozen  books  like  this  to  merely 
tfieV  describe  them  without  going 
into  details.  Mention  can  be 
made  of  a  few  to  show  the  prac- 
ticability of  the  Burlingame 
invention,  when  applied  to 
accomplish    a    certain  purpose. 

The     police     department     in 

58 


WHAT    BURLINGAME    DID 

every  large  city  has  telephones 
installed  along  the  several 
" beats."  The  officer  rings  up 
the  central  office  at  stated  in- 
tervals to  get  instructions.  But 
it  is  almost  impossible  for  the 
central  office  to  get  him  with  the 
present  system.  Besides  it 
would  require  a  great  amount 
of  time  to  ring  up  each  officer 
and  convey  to  him  any  instruc- 
tions. 

Burlingame  proposes  to  install 
one  of  his  machines  on  every 
"beat"  in  conjunction  with  a 
signal  system.  All  machines 
are  on  the  same  wire  and  are 
connected  with  the  central 
office.     Above  each  machine  is 

59 


WHAT    BURLINGAME    DID 

a  long  arm  like  a  railroad 
semaphore  for  use  in  daytime 
and  a  red  light  for  night. 

Say  that  a  crime  has  been 
committed  and  a  description  of 
the  culprit  secured.  The  officer 
securing  this  information  goes 
to  the  nearest  machine  and  by  a 
switch  transforms  it  into  a  send- 
ing instrument.  He  conveys 
the  intelligence  to  headquarters 
and  then  the  central  operator  in 
turn  sends  the  description  to 
every  officer  in  the  city  together 
Criminals  with  the  necessary  instructions. 
Whether  there  be  a  dozen  or  a 
hundred  instruments  scattered 
about  the  city,  each  and  every 
one  types  the  message  clearly, 


WHAT    BURLINGAME    DID 

as  perfectly  as  the  type  you  are 
reading  in  this  book. 

When  the  central  operator 
begins  the  message,  the  red  arm 
or  red  light  signifies  it  as  the 
case  may  be  and  no  matter  at 
what  distance  the  officer  on 
watch  is  from  the  machine,  he 
knows  by  observing  that  a 
message  is  being  sent  him.  He 
goes  to  the  machine  and  likely 
before  he  even  reaches  it,  there 
is  the  message  printed  out  in 
full.  He  has  but  to  remove 
it  from  the  machine,  read  and 
act.  Can  you  conceive  of  what 
this  would  mean  to  every  mu- 
nicipality and  how  anxious  the 
police  would  be  to  have  such  a 


WHAT    BURLINGAME    DID 

system  installed?  And  can  you 
further  conceive  of  the  number 
of  machines  that  would  be  re- 
quired   all    over    the    world    in       Cities 

n  Will 

civilized  communities?  Want  it 

The  system  would  also  be  of 
great  service  to  the  fire  depart- 
ment. Each  alarm  brings  out 
only  a  certain  number  of  en- 
gines, hose  carts  and  crews  with- 
in a  certain  proximity  to  the  fire. 
Suppose  that  the  chief  desired 
some  apparatus  in  some  other 
station.  He  would  simply  go 
to  a  machine  and  telegraph  for 
the  equipment  desired.  The 
present  system  of  fire  alarm 
boxes  would  also  be  used  but 

62 


WHAT    BURLINGAME    DID 

the  Burlingame  invention  would 
greatly  supplement  it. 

Scarcely  a  day  passes  without 
a  railroad  accident  somewhere 
because  of  messages  that  are 
misunderstood.  For  example, 
in  the  Morse  system  the  figures 
"2"  and  "3"  are  similar.  The 
"2"  is  represented  by  two  dots, 
a  dash  and  two  dots;  the  "3"  by 
three  dots,  a  dash  and  a  dot.  A 
message  reading,  ''Take  siding- 
No.  2,"  could  through  careless- 
ness or  faulty  hearing  on  the  part 
of  the  operator  be  interpreted, 
"Take  siding  No.  3."  The  mis- 
take is  possible;  and  after  it  is 
sent  what  proof  is  there  that  the 
message  was   sent  with   a   "2" 

63 


WHAT    BURLINGAME    DID 

and  not  "3";  and  how  could  the 
responsibility  be  placed  where 
it  belonged? 

The  Burlingame  machine  re- 
cords at  each  end  of  the  line, 
Matter  tne  message  just  as  sent.  If  the 
Record  operator  strikes  a  "2,"  the 
receiving  machine  types  a  figure 
"2"  on  the  paper.  Mistakes  are 
thus  obviated,  and  wrecks  pre- 
vented. The  railroad  stands 
waiting  today  for  the  new  and 
improved  system;  it  is  but  a 
matter  of  a  short  time  when  they 
will  be  equipped  with  the  Bur- 
lingame system  of  telegraphy. 

The  same  principle  that 
governs  the  electrical  impulses 
of   the   telegraphing   typewriter 

64 


WHAT    BURLINGAME    DID 

can  be  used  to  further  perfect 
the  block  signal  system  of  sema- 
phores used  by  the  railroads,  and 
make  their  operation  more  effi- 
cient. Furthermore  a  conductor 
could  telegraph  from  any  siding 
along  the  road  where  a  machine 
was  installed;  and  it  would  not 
require  an  operator  in  constant 
attendance. 

For  business  purposes  the 
telegraphing  typewriter  will  be 
indispensable.  Wherever  it  is 
desirable  to  convey  or  transmit 
messages  there  is  a  demand  for 
the  Burlingame  machine.  To 
enumerate  the  uses  is  beyond 
the  conception  of  any  man,  for 
every    business    needs    this    in- 

65 


WHAT    BURLINGAME    DID 

vention     for    one    purpose     or 
another. 

Suppose  for  example  a  bank 
were  equipped  with  the  ma- 
chines. The  paying  teller  would 
have  an  instrument  on  his  coun- 
ter. In  would  come  a  man  with 
a  check  and  the  teller  might  have 
some  doubt  about  cashing  it. 
He  would  write  on  his  machine, 
"Is  John  Jones'  check  good  for 
$125?"  The  machine  at  the 
bookkeeper's  desk  would  record 
the  message.  After  consulting 
his  books,  the  bookkeeper  would  ^<>  ■ 
switch  his  machine  over  to  a 
sending  instrument  and  pos- 
sibly reply,  "No.  Already  over- 
drawn."  This  would  require  but 

66 


Value 


The  Burlingame  Relay  For  Long  Distance 
Transmission  Of  Messages 


•  %•• 


Govern- 
ment 


WHAT    BURLINGAME    DID 

a  few  moments  and  the  trans- 
action would  be  done  secretly. 
The  advantage  of  such  a  system 
is  evident, 
•fhe  Consider  if  you  will  the  value 

of  Burlingame's  invention  for  the 
Government  in  war  or  at  peace, 
on  shore  or  afloat.  The  sys- 
tem will  work  either  by  wire 
or  wireless.  Communications  be- 
tween battleships  at  sea  should 
be  a  matter  of  record  of  every 
message  sent  and  received. 
This  is  not  possible  with  the 
wireless  telephone  or  the  wire- 
less telegraph  using  the  Morse 
system.  With  the  Burlingame 
system,  no  dispute  can  arise 
about    orders    for    everyone    is 


WHAT    BURLINGAME    DID 

faithfully  recorded  on  the  ship 
sending  and  the  ship  or  ships 
receiving  the  message.  Remem- 
ber a  voice  can  be  misunderstood, 
a  spoken  word  is  gone  forever 
without  a  record  of  it.  The 
ticking  of  an  instrument  leaves 
no  impression  except  on  the 
memory  of  the  man  who  heard 
it.  A  message  in  writing  stands 
imperishable  and  unimpeach- 
able. 

In  comparing  the  Burlingame 
telegraphing  typewriter  with  all 
other  forms  of  transmitting 
messages  by  wire  or  wireless 
it  narrows  down  to  a  sound 
from  an  instrument  or  a  human 
voice  versus  a  mechanical  action. 

68 


WHAT    BURLINGAME    DID 

The  former  is  subject  to  mistakes 
and  does  not  stand  as  a  matter 
of  record  after  the  message  has 
been  sent.  The  latter  method 
is  infallible  as  the  recorded 
message  always  serves  as  in- 
disputable proof. 

You,  patient  reader,  can  let 
your  imagination  carry  you  to 
every  nook  and  corner  of  this 
wonderful  world  of  ours;  you 
can  think  of  every  kind  of 
message  that  is  transmitted  by 
every  kind  of  system  from 
Morse's  invention  to  date;  you 
can  even  delve  into  the  future 
and  ponder  on  the  needs  of  the 
commercial  world  in  the  years 
to    come;    and    wherever    your 

69 


WHAT    BURLINGAME    DID 

imagination  carries  you,  there 
you  will  find  urgent  use  for  the 
invention  that  Burlingame  has 
given  to  civilization. 


70 


THE    HISTORY  OF   OTHER 

LABOR  AND  THOUGHT 

SAVING  INVENTIONS 


CHAPTER  V 

THE   HISTORY  OF   OTHER 

LABOR  AND  THOUGHT 

SAVING  INVENTIONS 

A  HUNDRED  years  ago 
when  a  man  invented 
some  wonderful  device 
or  piece  of  mechanism  he  was 
looked  upon  with  suspicion,  re- 
garded as  a  menace  to  society 
and  credited  with  having  super- 
natural powers.  Often  he  was 
imprisoned. 

Gradually  enlightenment 
through  education  replaced 
ignorance  and  superstition,  and 
while  the  public  did  not  mis- 
trust the  inventor  or  accuse  him  Hundred 
of  witchery  they  doubted  the  Ago* 
possibilities    of    each  invention 

73 


WHAT    BURLINGAME    DID 

until  it  was  proven  to  the  satis- 
faction of  all  that  it  was  a  practi- 
cal device. 
?*°H2raUabn  Even    today,    in    the    age    of 

wonderful  inventions  that  are 
now  in  constant  use,  a  certain 
class  is  always  prejudiced 
against  any  new  device  until 
forced  to  accept  it  through 
public  recognition. 

This  principle  of  doubting  is 
not  confined  to  people  of  small 
education  or  influence  either, 
but  is  as  often  a  char- 
acteristic of  intelligent  and 
wealthy  individuals  as  of  those 
who  have  but  little  of  this 
world's  goods. 

That  is  the  very  reason  why  so 

74 


WHAT    BURLINGAME    DID 

many  men  born  with  improvi- 
dent surroundings  frequently 
acquire  great  wealth  on  small 
investments.  They  investigate, 
believe  their  own  eyes  and  have 
faith  in  their  judgment. 

We  are  all  familiar  with  the 
early    struggles     of    Alexander 
^      Bell  when  he  invented  the  tele- 
£\lm     phone.  We  know  how  the  public 
phone     at  iarge  ridiculed  his  invention 
and  how  he  was  compelled  to  give 
stock  in  his  newly  formed  com- 
pany in  return  for  life's  necessi- 
ties.    But  wise  were  those  who 
accepted  his  proposition. 

Ottmar  Mergenthaler  worked 
for  many  years  on  the  linotype 
before  he  could  get  backers  to 

75 


WHAT    BURLINGAME    DID 

finance  his  enterprise.  Today 
the  company  has  paid  over 
$20,000,000  in  dividends  and  is 
paying  its  stockholders  over 
$1,500,000  annually. 

A  story  is  told  of  George 
Westinghottse  and  his  air-brake. 
He  had  tried  time  and  again  to 
get  an  interview  with  Commo- 
dore Vanderbilt  who  at  that 
period  was  general  manager  of 
the  New  York  Central  Lines. 
Each  effort  had  been  unsuccess- 
ful. Finally  through  influential 
friends  an  interview  was  granted. 
The  Young  Westinghouse  was 
Brake  ushered  into  the  Commodore's 
private  office.  The  latter  glared 
at  the  young  inventor  and  re- 

76 


WHAT    BURLINGAME    DID 

marked:  " Young  man,  as  I 
understand  your  proposition, 
you  intend  to  stop  a  train  of  cars 
with  some  bottled  wind. 
Is  that  right?"  Westinghouse 
partially  admitted  that  such  was 
the  case  and  went  on  to  explain. 
He  was  cut  short  with  the  re- 
mark: "Well,  I  have  no  time  to 
talk  to  cranks.  There's  the 
door." 

What  a  transformation  later! 
Westinghouse  succeeded  through 
perseverance  in  getting  another 
road  to  give  the  air-brake  a  trial. 
Commodore  Vanderbilt  had  to 
accept  the  Westinghouse  inven- 
tion. The  sequel  we  know. 
There  is  not  a  railroad,  steam  or 

77 


WHAT    BURLINGAME    DID 

electric,  anywhere,  but  is 
equipped  with  the  Westinghouse 
air-brake.  The  men  who 
backed  Westinghouse  made  mil- 
lions through  their  ability  to 
TJ?"       look  into  the  future  and  realize 

Who 

Profited  the  possibilities  of  the  invention 
that  was  laid  before  them.  The 
Westinghouse  Air-Brake  Com- 
pany has  paid  as  high  as  forty 
per  cent  dividends  on  the  par 
value  of  its  stock. 

Thirty-five  years  ago  had  a 
man  told  you  that  it  would  be 
possible  to  record  spoken  words 
and  reproduce  them  even  after 
the  death  of  the  speaker,  you 
would  have  told  the  prophesier, 
that  he  was  a  fit  candidate  for  a 

78 


WHAT    BURLINGAME    DID 

padded  cell.  Today  the  Ameri- 
can Graphophone  Company  is 
capitalized  for  $5,000,000  and 
has  paid  over  one  million  dollars 
in  dividends  to  its  fortunate 
stockholders  who  were  keen 
enough  to  take  Edison  at  his 
word  and  put  up  the  necessary 
money  to  promote  a  company 
to  manufacture  the  machine  for 
the  waiting  world. 

Had  a  man  told  your  father 
when  he  was  a  boy  that  some  day 
little  glass  bulbs  containing  a 
tiny  filament  would  replace  can- 
dles and  oil  lamps  for  lighting 
homes,  stores  and  offices,  your 
sire  would  have  gone  home  and 
told   about  seeing  a  man  who 

79 


WHAT    BURLINGAME    DID 

ought  to  be  locked  up.  But 
look  what  has  happened.  Edison 
Electric  shares  that  sold  at  $100 
within  a  year  brought  $4,000. 
The  shareholders  in  the  Edison 
Illuminating  Company  realized 
thousands  of  dollars  on  their 
investment. 

The  life  story  of  Elias  Howe 
a"dThe  rea(^s  like  a  fairy  tale.  After 
Sewing      ne    had    invented    the    sewing 

Machine  ° 

machine,  he  was  so  coldly  treated 
in  America  that  he  sailed  for 
England  only  to  receive  more  re- 
buffs. He  came  back  to  America, 
became  connected  with  men 
of  foresight  and  some  money. 
Howe  amassed  a  fortune,  esti- 
mated   at    over    $2,000,000,    a 

80 


WHAT    BURLINGAME    DID 

mighty  sum  in  his  day.  During 
the  Civil  war  when  the  payment 
of  the  troops  was  delayed  by  the 
government  he  advanced  the 
necessary  money. 

Each  $1,000  invested  origi- 
nally in  the  Singer  Manufactur- 
ing Company  at  its  incorpora- 
tion bought  shares  that  are  today 
worth  over  $100,000,  and  each 
share  has  made  for  its  owner 
a  fortune  in  dividends  alone. 

In  1878  a  company  was  formed 
by  Gordon  McKay  to  manu- 
facture an  improved  machine  for 
making  boots  and  shoes.  He  Making 
knew  he  had  the  invention  but  Ma<*ine 
to  convince  others  was  a  diffi- 
cult task.     He  peddled  his  stock 

81 


WHAT    BURLINGAME    DID 

among  acquaintances  in  Lowell, 
New  Bedford  and  other  Mas- 
sachusetts cities.  Those  men 
who  helped  McKay  get  started 
by  putting  up  a  very  little  money 
eventually  became  millionaires. 
The  United  Shoe  Machinery  Cor- 
poration which  has  since  ab- 
sorbed the  original  McKay  Com- 
pany is  capitalized  for  fifty 
million   dollars. 

What  a  sorrowful  lesson  for 
those  skeptics  who  scorned 
McKay  and  failed  to  heed  his 
advice.  Happy  is  the  man  who 
can  say,  "I  told  you  so,"  when 
he  has  made  enough  money  to 
warrant  the  expression. 

The   writer   might   go   on   at 

82 


WHAT    BURLINGAME    DID 

length  and  tell  of  a  hundred 
more  examples  but  all  have  the 
same  moral.  A  brief  mention 
of  a  few  is  evident  proof. 

The  Dunlop  Tire  Company 
originally  started  business  with 
$112,000.  Within  a  few  years 
the  stockholders  had  realized 
$3,000,000  in  dividends;  shortly 
after  this  the  business,  including 
the  valuable  patents  on  a  pneu- 
matic tire  sold  for  $15,000,000. 

The  Burroughs  Adding  Ma- 
chine Company,  owner  of  a  pat- 
ent that  was  only  a  few  years 
ago  merely  an  idea,  has  a  capi- 
tal stock  of  $5,000,000.  No  won- 
der. They  have  over  30,000 
machines  in  use  and  every  one 

83 


WHAT    BURLINGAME    DID 

is  ticking  dividends  at  the  same 
time  it  is  adding  a.  column  of 
figures. 

Little  did  McCormick  think 
when  he  helped  to  perfect  the 
combined  harvester  that  his 
sons  would  be  the  controlling 
interest  in  a  $130,000,000  cor- 
poration with  eighteen  million- 
aires on  the  board  of  directors. 

John  Patterson,  president  of 
the  National  Cash  Register  Com- 
pany, was  at  one  time  a  small 
country  merchant.  Today  he 
is  the  head  of  a  company  em- 
ploying 5100  men  in  the  factory, 
7500  salesmen  working  in  every 
corner  of  the  globe,  a  company 
that    makes    6000    machines    a 

84 


WHAT    BURLINGAME    DID 

year  valued  at  $16,000,000. 
There  are  over  a  half  million 
cash  registers  in  use  and  the 
profit  on  them  has  paid  thou- 
sands and  thousands  of  dollars  to 
the  men  who  put  their  shoulders 
to  the  wheel  with  Patterson. 

One  can  run  the  gamut  of  com- 
paratively recent  inventions 
from  a  little  parlor  match  to  a 
mighty  locomotive  and  the  story 
is  the  same.     First  the  inven-     cThe 

same 

tion,  later  its  development  by  Story 
those  who  financed  the  project 
and  finally  a  succession  of  divi- 
dends to  those  men  who  had  the 
intuition,  the  foresight,  the 
judgment  to  invest  their  money 

85 


WHAT    BURLINGAME    DID 

in  promoting  the  sale  of  some- 
thing that  fills  a  human  need. 

An  industrial  enterprise  deal- 
ing with  a  public  necessity 
always  has  been  and  always  will 
be  a  big  money  maker. 

Two  decades  ago  the  people 
said  that  the  last  word  in  in- 
ventions had  been  spoken.  They 
were  overwhelmed  with  the 
many  inventions  and  thought 
that  the  limit  had  been  reached. 
But  the  world  moves. 

There  will  be  just  as  many 
examples  in  the  next  twenty 
years  and  each  and  every  one 
will  have  to  go  through  the  same 
evolution.  The  inventor  will 
develop   the  idea,  a  few  people 

86 


WHAT    BURLINGAME    DID 

will  have  courage  enough  to 
back  him  and  the  reward  will 
be  theirs  while  the  public  at 
large  will  only  have  something 
to  do  with  the  invention  after 
all  the  preliminary  work  has 
been  done,  their  opportunity 
lost  for  big  returns  on  a  small 
investment. 

So  will  it  be  with  the  Bur- 
lingame  telegraphing  typewriter. 
Today  it  is  going  through  the 
second  process  in  its  develop- 
ment. Now  is  the  time  when  The  Way 
a  small  investment  blazes  the  Fortune 
way  for  a  fortune. 

Fortunate  the  man  who  joins 
Elmer  Burlingame  and  gives  the 
world    a   machine    it  has   been 

87 


WHAT    BURLINGAME    DID 

waiting  for  all  these  years;  in 
fact  ever  since  the  rapid  ex- 
pansion of  the  commercial  world 
has  been  calling  for  devices  that 
will  help  it  transact  business 
quicker,  with  more  accuracy  and 
less  expense! 

When  one  reviews  the  great 
successes   made   by   inventions, 
learns  of  their  development  and 
realizes  the  enormous  sums  of 
money  that  have  gone  to  those 
who  financed  the  various  enter- 
prises, will  he  not  agree  with  the 
famous     philosopher,     Herbert 
Spencer  who  has  said: 
"There  is  a  principle  which 
is  a  bar  against  all  infor- 
mation,   which    is    proof 

88 


WHAT    BURLINGAME    DID 

against  all  argument  and 
which  cannot  fail  to  keep 
a  man  in  everlasting  ig- 
norance; this  principle  is 
contempt,  prior  to  exam- 
ination." 

In     Concluding     this     Story     Of        Conclusion 

Elmer  Burlingame  the  writer 
hopes  that  he  has  done  justice 
to  the  young  electrician  who 
has  given  the  world  so  much ;  and 
he  wonders  who  will  be  the 
doubters  that  will  only  accept 
the  truth  when  it  is  forced  upon 
them  by  seeing  messages  actu- 
ally being  sent  by  the  new  sys- 
tem here,  there  and  everywhere; 
and  he  further  wonders  who  will 

89 


WHAT    BURLINGAME    DID 

be  the  fortunate  ones  that  will 
answer  to  the  call  of  opportunity 
that  is  rapping  at  their  door. 


90 


VA  01744 


813229 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


